One Long Year
by QuietConspiracy
Summary: Or, what you get when you stick characters from a Hunger Games fan fiction in Hogwarts.
1. Avell

**AN: This story is a crossover of the Hunger Games fanfiction "Finding the Light" by TallTalesInk and Harry Potter. I decided to write this story simply because the idea wouldn't stop bugging me. So, with approval from the readers and a bit of help from Tales...here's the chapter. Also of note: this will be written in American English 95-99% of the time, with a couple exceptions; and, all the characters are aged back a year but will be back to their proper ages by the end of the story. **

**Disclaimer: I am not Suzanne Collins, or J.K. Rowling.**

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Chapter 1: Avell

* * *

The Hogwarts Express began to slow down as it pulled into the station, causing one incoming first-year to quiver in anticipation.

Avell Watts had never been a normal kid; he'd always been absolutely fascinated by magic for as long as he could remember.

Of course, none of the other lads his age back home had understood his obsession; they'd all been chattering on about rugby, or football, or cricket, or some other sport that didn't matter to Avell.

His headmaster back at the all-boys school was perplexed by him as well.

_"Mr and Mrs. Watts, your son is one of the brightest boys this school has seen in decades, but we simply cannot wrap our heads around why Avell does so poorly in all of his classes, save for maths. And even then, he's barely passing. We just don't understand it."_

Avell fancied himself a loner; he wasn't bothered by this, except when Jack Smith and Callum Alexander were poking fun at his expense.

_"Hey look, it's the freak again." Jack's bitingly crude tone mixed with Callum's snorts, an unpleasant combination._

_"Freak boy, freak boy, whatcha gonna do? Can't turn the teacher's hair funky colors now, huh, freak?" Callum laughed._

_Avell closed his eyes and wished that the boys would just shut up and leave him in his peace to study the latest magic trick book he'd bought._

_"Lookie here, Cal." Jack snatched the book from Avell's hand, causing the latter's eyes to jerk open. "Freak boy's got another book for his little hobby. What'll do with it?"_

_"Hey, give that back." Avell protested._

_Jack rolled his eyes. "You really think I'm going to listen to you, freak?"_

_"Give the book back." Avell felt himself growing angrier by the instant._

_Callum smirked. "Like we'd really listen to you."_

_Suddenly, a huge flash of purple light came out of nowhere and forced Avell to squeeze his eyes shut. When he reopened them, he saw Jack and Callum knocked flat on their backs ten meters away and the book back in his hand._

Those kind of things had been occurring to Avell since he was in year two. They kept happening, but he didn't know why. At least, until his eleventh birthday last February, when a blue-cloaked woman turned up on his doorstep.

She'd introduced herself as Professor Finola Ehrenberger and delivered some of the most astonishing news the young boy had ever heard in his short life: he, Avell, was a wizard.

He'd been flabbergasted and rather skeptical at first; however, the more Professor Ehrenbereger explained, the more Avell realized that his wizardry made logical sense. Weird, unexplained incidents when emotions got the best of him? Other kids calling him a freak and social isolation because of those incidents? Fascination with the possiblity of magic? Check, check, and check.

His parents, especially his mother, hadn't taken the news quite as well as he had.

_Late that night, as Avell crept into the kitchen for a small snack, he heard arguing coming from the living room._

_He stayed as silent as he could while he listened to what his parents were fighting over._

_"Graff, I just can't believe it. Some random woman shows up, claiming that our son, our baby boy, our only child, is a wizard? How believable is that?"_

_"Honey, you're forgetting that she managed to turn the table into a pony. It's not too far-fetched. Maybe it's proof she's a loon who never grew out of that phase Avell's in where he still believes in magic. Hopefully, that school'll be able to make a good, sensible man out of him."_

_Avell stopped in the middle of chewing. Did his father really believe magic was just a phase? It was his passion, his reason to keep breathing. No one could understand that._

_No one, that is, but other wizards._

_He tuned back into the conversation as his mother was talking : "...my fault he's so into this magic thing, isn't it? Just because we're not home, we need to work a lot, we-"_

_"Zanya." His dad's voice, tired but firm. "We've done what we can, why not let this Hogwarts do the rest?"_

As soon as it became clear he was going, Professor Ehrenberger came back and collected Avell to take him supply shopping. The best part, in young Avell's opinion, was Flourish and Blott's. New books, explaining _actual_ magic, instead of the hocus-pocus abracadabra stuff he'd always thught of magic as? Sign him up.

But he did rather like Ollivander's, for he was proud of his wand- after all, it was the true mark of a wizard.

Avell was eager to skip forward to September and just start learning. But alas, he'd had to wait six and a half months for that day.

And today had been that day.

He'd climbed on the Hogwarts Express, trunk and all, but not without some tears from his mother and a promise to write from his father.

At the beginning of the ride, he'd taken his seat in a near-empty compartment with an older girl, whose long dark hair was in stark contrast with her pale eyes and skin. Judging from her robes, she was a Ravenclaw, the house Avell secretly hoped he'd be in.

She was a good compartment mate; quiet, not bothersome, and just staring out the window the entire time save for when the food trolley passed by.

But now, at the end of the journey, the older girl stood up and left the compartment without so much as a glance back.

Avell shrugged before he exited the compartment and stepped out on the platform.

Once he was there, he was swept into the crowd and would've gotten lost if he hadn't heard the cry of "Firs' years this way please!"

When Avell looked for the source of the bellowing voice, he was shocked. About ten meters away, the tallest man he'd ever seen stood. His bushy gray beard indicated his age, and somebody his height should have been terrifying. In reality, most of the older kids were either waving politely or calling to the man; despite his size, he obviously wasn't seen as a threat.

So Avell did what any lost little firstie would: he followed the voice and got sucked into the crowd.

He was hustled into a boat with three other kids; one a snooty-looking blond boy, who sat next to a girl with brown pigtail braids and an identical expression. The last kid in the boat was another girl, who looked friendlier than the others.

He studied the latter for a moment. She was pretty, he decided, with her red-velvet hair and dark-chocolate eyes. He also decided he should have eaten more on the train; these food comparisons were really making him hungry.

The girl turned and looked at him. "Isn't this amazing? Of course, I've heard a lot about it from my siblings, but-"

"You have siblings?" Avell interrupted, cringing internally at how stupid he sounded.

She laughed. "Yes, two of them. I'm the youngest, but I've been hearing stories about how amazing this place for _ages_, seeing as my family's been coming here for generations." She stuck out her hand. "I'm Alana, by the way. And you would be...?"

He shook her hand. "Avell. Avell Watts."

"Watts, you say?" He nodded. "Funny, haven't heard that surname before. You're muggleborn, then?" Avell nodded again. "What's that like?"

Avell cleared his throat. "Well..." He went on in glorious detail until he heard a cry from a boat towards the front of the fleet.

"LOOK! THE CASTLE! STRAIGHT AHEAD!"

Avell stopped mid-sentence as he and Alana both looked up.

Avell's jaw dropped; indeed, Hogwarts was more fantastic than he ever thought it'd be.

A few moments later, the boats docked in a chamber in the school's underbelly as the kids climbed out of the boats. Since he was on the side of the dock, he scrambled out and offered Alana his hand and helped her out of the boat.

"Thanks."

"Any time."

The group of first years followed the giant man up a seemingly endless flight of stairs, until at last they were waiting in the entrance hall.

Once they got there, the man spoke up. "Here y'are, Professor Entwhistle, sir."

"Thank you, Hagrid." a male voice said. Once Hagrid stepped aside, Avell had a slightly easier time seeing the other professor.

Professor Entwhistle was a rather short and stocky man in his late fifties, whose hair was only just beginning to gray. Something in both his voice and his gaze suggest that he was not the type of man anybody'd dare to double cross. Avell made a mental note to stay on his good side.

Professor Entwhistle cleared his throat before he started to speak. Avell tuned him out, as it was something anybody who'd either been born into wizardry or bothered to read their copy of _A History of Magic: Revised Edition _would know- how the school was founded, the point of the different houses, and so on.

About halfway through, Alana nudged him and whispered, "What house d'you think you'll be?"

"Ravenclaw. And you?"

She shrugged. "I dunno. Gryffindor and Hufflepuff's where most of my family has been in, but my brother's the first in...seven generations, I think?...to get Ravenclaw. Don't think there's been a Slytherin yet, though."

Avell nodded, only half-listening.

Finally, Professor Entwhistle cleared his throat again. "That's enough of that; let's head out and get you sorted. I bet your fellow students are eager to see which house is right for you."

He pushed open the doors to the Great Hall, and more than a few of the older students turned their heads as the first years filed in.

Avell gasped as he looked up at the ceiling; it looked exactly like the sky outside, but with a thousand floating candles suspended in the air. It was even cooler than he thought it'd be.

When he finally managed to tear his eyes away from the ceiling, he saw Professor Entwhistle placing what appeared to be a tattered hat on a three-legged stool. Once the hat was on the stool, the Professor stepped away.

Silence overcame the hall as the hat split open at a rather large rip and began to sing:

_"Many, may years ago,_

_When I was newly sewn,_

_The founders four faced troubles_

_Of which they'd never known._

_Choosing students for their house_

_Was their big dilemma,_

_For each of the four was quite sure_

_They wouldn't live forever._

_At last one said, _

_"Let us use Godric's hat!"_

_One the subject of using me,_

_I thought they were crazy,_

_But when I found I liked the work,_

_That was the end of that._

_Gryffindor, my owner,_

_Was chivalrous and bold;_

_He rather liked bloody crimson_

_Despite his heart of gold._

_Ravenclaw, the lovely dear,_

_Favored ingenuity and wit;_

_When choosing her house colors,_

_She_ knew_ blue and bronze were it._

_Slytherin chose those whose_

_Ambitions and blood were purest;_

_In choices for his colors,_

_Green and silver were the surest._

_But Hufflepuff, she took those_

_Who believed in everything just;_

_And as for colors, well, for her,_

_Yellow and black left the rest in the dust._

_Now it's almost time for me_

_To put you where you belong,_

_When that'll happen, why yes,_

_Is at the end of this song!"_

The whole hall burst into applause, and as it died down Professor Entwhistle pulled out a scroll and began to read off names.

"Aldrich, Jackson."

The snooty-looking boy from the boat swaggered out of the line and paced the hat squarely on his head.

A moment's pause. "SLYTHERIN!"

The table on the far right clapped politely as Jackson put the hat back on the stool and headed over to them.

"Boone, Kayla."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Broderick, Jillian."

The pigtail-braids girl from the boat stepped out from three places in front of Avell and made her way up to the stool.

The hat sat on her head for a good thirty seconds before finally making its decision. "SLYTHERIN!"

Avell then proceeded to tune out until "Hayden, Alana," was called.

Alana gave him a hand squeeze before walking up to the stool.

The hat couldn't have sat on her head for more than five seconds before finalizing her as "HUFFLEPUFF!"

Avell smiled as he saw Alana head over to her new house. It suited her quite well, from the little he knew about her.

He tuned out again until "Scamander, Sylvia," (a "HUFFLEPUFF!") was called and he realized only five people remained.

"Thomas, Mackenzie."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Turner, Maximus."

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Watts, Avell."

That was his cue. Avell took his most confident stride up to the stool, sat down, and immediately put the hat on.

It drooped over his eyes, and a little-albeit-creepy voice filled his thoughts.

**Ah, a difficult one, aren't you?**

Avell jumped. He hadn't expected this; he just thought-

**That I touched the head and called out a random house? Don't worry, that's only for the easier sorts.**

_So what house could I be, then? _Avell thought.

**Let's see here... You don't quite have the guts or near-stupid bravery required for a Gryffindor...**

_I should hope not._

The hat chuckled. **You've got the ambition and resourcefulness for Slytherin, certainly, but seeing as you're muggleborn they wouldn't take too kindly to you.**

_What about the other two?_

**Definitely not patient or hard-working enough for Hufflepuff, so that just leaves...**

"RAVENCLAW!"

Avell took off the hat and practically skipped his way over to his new table. For him, this wasn't just the start of a new school year; it was a start on a whole new chapter of his life.

And he was all too eager for it to begin.

* * *

**Well, that's the end of that chapter. **

**I plan on this story giving each character a whole chapter devoted just to them, plus an epilogue at the end of the school year for a total of tewnty-five chapters.**

**Next up: Ranger's chapter and Quidditch tryouts! If nothing else, this'll be interesting...**

**Catch you next time on_ One Long Year_.**

**Cheers,**

**Purple**


	2. Ranger

**AN: First off, thanks to everyone who's favorited, followed, or reviewed at this point. You're the best.**

**Second off: Ranger was a difficult sort, but in the end, she went to...well, if you must know, you'll have to keep reading.**

**Disclaimer from the first chapter still applies.**

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Chapter 2: Ranger

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The sun broke over the horizon, but none of the sixth-year Slytherin girls took note of this.

None, that is, except the one whose internal alarm had her up and going for the day.

Ranger Capen had never exactly been a morning person, but today was different.

In Slytherin, Quidditch tryouts were a cause for intense competition and a morning of good fun. For Ranger, this year would be exceptional; having made the team as beater every year since her third, except for last year when she'd switched to seeker, she was a natural choice for captain after last year's four seventh years had graduated.

With so many slots open, she'd decided to hold a team overhaul and get six entirely new members for the team.

She looked at the clock; tryouts started at nine, and she'd wanted to eat breakfast before going out to practice and meet up with her boyfriend.

Technically speaking, she and Haydn had been betrothed since they were still in the womb; however, it wouldn't be official until Haydn turned seventeen next August.

Ranger snuck out of the dormitories, through the common room, and out of the dungeons before wandering off to the kitchens.

She stood there, waiting for almost twenty minutes and was contemplating leaving when finally, _finally_ her knight-in-shining-armor showed up.

"Hey." She smiled a bit, but it vanished when she noticed that her boyfriend was moving a tad slower than usual.

"Hey." He steadied himself as he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her down for a relatively chaste kiss.

Ranger'd never understood why he insisted on spending time with her in school; he was one of the more popular kids in Hufflepuff, and probably the most popular of the kids in the year below her. But she was more than grateful for his attention, especially considering her own family.

"Hey Phob!" The happy couple broke apart and faced a sneering fifth year girl, Ranger's fellow Slytherin. "Why are you so close to freak girl, eh?"

"Shut up, Pekelo." Haydn scowled.

"And Spring?" Ranger gave the girl her best smirk. "just remember I can rig the tryouts so you won't make the team."

The younger girl gasped. "You wouldn't."

"Would I?" Ranger laughed as Spring let out an impatient huff, flipped her hair, and stomped off in the direction of the Great Hall.

Haydn smiled and pulled her in for another kiss. "That's my girl."

Ranger broke it off. "I gotta go. Breakfast, flying practice, then tryouts. Hufflepuff doesn't go till tomorrow, right?"

Haydn nodded. "That's right."

Ranger allowed herself a tiny smile. "Look for me, cheering you on."

Haydn laughed. "With pleasure, m'lady." He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it before finally setting Ranger free.

As she walked off, Ranger patted herself on the back for once again keeping her temper mostly in check with Haydn around.

0-0-0

Ranger was soaring high above the Quidditch pitch when she finally noticed a group of kids clad in green and silver standing on the edge. As quickly as her old Comet 490 would allow, she got to the ground and dismounted.

"Right then. First off, welcome to today's tryouts. I'm your captain, Ranger Capem. Now here's what we're going to do-"

"Why should we listen to you?" A small voice piped up from the edge of the crowd, which parted to reveal a tiny blonde girl who couldn't have been past third year.

"Because, Themis, if you're going to be part of the team you're going to have to get used to following orders. So shut your trap and listen." Another girl, this one brunette, glared at the blonde.

"...Right. Anyhoo, split off in groups of ten and on my whistle you'll fly around the pitch three times before landing." The groups split up and Ranger blew the whistle.

0-0-0

After nearly three hours on the pitch including a broken nose, two concussions, and several broken fingers, the last of the tryouts had finished.

Ranger called the remaining group (about half the size of the original) and cleared her throat. "Congrats, you lot. You've made it this far. Check tomorrow on the common room announcement board for the final listing of who made the cut and substitutes. You're now free to go."

"_Finally_." The blonde from earlier rolled her eyes before trudging off. One by one, so did the rest of the Slytherins.

Ranger left the pitch and headed into the ladies locker room.

After a quick rinse and changing into her regular clothes, she headed to her dorm.

Once there, she flopped down most unceremoniously on her bed and pulled out her notes.

After reading and cross-examining them, Ranger began drafting a list of who'd get each position.

Selecting her team's keeper had been a no-brainer. Aurelio Pickering, despite being only in fourth year, was already six and a half feet tall and would easily be able to stretch out and block the goalposts- which he had done, and been phenomenal about it too.

This year's top beaters were a study in contrasts. Zachery Holden was in his last year, Danielle Burnett in her second; Danielle was tiny and almost frail-looking, while Zach was built like a giant; but yet, both Danielle and Zach were fantastically powerful when it came to batting away the bludgers.

The chasers, however, were another matter altogether.

One of them had been an easy enough selection. Fourth-year Rowan Diatello was a fast flier and had scored all but one of the goals, plus her unusually sweet (for a Slytherin, anyway) disposition made her easy enough to work with. Also, her step-mother was a political ally, and in a pureblood society where who you know was everything, that sealed the deal. Ranger didn't need to give her mother another excuse to make her life hell.

The other chaser slots were a bit harder, but after twenty minutes Ranger had picked her next teammate. Cutter Wryer was a relatively unknown third year, but she was almost as speedy as Rowan had been, and she was a particularly adept at out-maneuvering bludgers. Granted, she wasn't the best goal-scorer out there, but she definitely wasn't the worst either. She would have to do, Ranger decided.

That left two girls to compete for the third and final chaser slot.

Spring Pekelo, as much as Ranger hated to admit it, was strong enough to catch a quaffle going at top speed, manipulate her way through the rest of the players, and score nearly every time. But, she was also rather obnoxious, rude, and stuck-up. The other option wasn't all that much better, though.

The rude little blonde girl happened to be Mae Themis. After the fall of the Blacks and Malfoys as well as other prominent pureblood families, the Themis family had taken over. Mae's mother, Elysia Nott, had married an American pureblood whose family had gone across the pond on the Mayflower. Having been born in Los Angeles, Mae was technically an American citizen but got into Hogwarts due to her mum's connections.

So what was wrong with Mae? Her arrogance, for one, would definitely have to go. She clashed with Cutter multiple times during tryouts, including an incident that nearly broke the latter's nose.

But on the other hand, Mae wasn't a bad flier and Ranger had heard the younger girl promising to buy the entire team one Nimbus 3400XL each. Ranger knew this wasn't the best judgement, but she figured a new broom wouldn't hurt if they wanted to beat Gryffindor.

Reluctantly, Ranger added Mae as the seventh and final member of Slytherin's Quidditch team.

Maybe the younger girl would be more agreeable with a personality transplant.

* * *

**This chapter was short, but I was having a hard time writing it, so...**

**And I meant to have this up two weeks ago, but Geometry and US History will be the death of me. **

**Anyways, I'm really super-mega-ultra excited for the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them movie! WOO!**

**Next up: Alexis Hayden and the Halloween Hogsmeade Trip.**

**Tune in next time on _One Long_**_** Year.**_

**Cheers,**

**Purple**


	3. Alexis

**AN: Thanks to all my lovely followers/reviewers/favoriters. Have I told you all how much I appreciate it? No? Well now you know.**

**Secondly, I still do not own any of these things, including the characters (sadly because they're all fantastic as heck.)**

**Lastly, Alexis's sorting was easier, and she's a [INSERT HOGWARTS HOUSE NAME HERE].**

**...did you really think I'd tell you before you read the actual chapter?**

* * *

Chapter 3: Alexis

* * *

Today was a bittersweet day for the Hayden family.

On the one hand, Halloween was Alana Hayden's twelfth birthday; a time for celebration, joy, and laughter as the Haydens reminisced about the young Hufflepuff's misadventures.

But on the other, it was also the third anniversary of the day the family had lost Jason, their eldest son.

He'd had his heart set on becoming a Gryffindor, but after the minor magical training he'd been given pre-Hogwarts his parents had deemed it safer to have him homeschooled.

He hadn't spoken with any of his younger siblings since they'd all started at Hogwarts, but it'd still hurt and shocked Alexis when she found out her beloved brother had "accidentally" killed himself with "uncontrolled" magic.

As his younger sister, Alexis knew this was a load of crap; he'd been perfectly fine at controlling his magic from what she remembered. He just wasn't mentally stable enough to handle it.

But today, she couldn't afford to think about her brother. Right now, a more serious question faced the usually dauntless Gryffindor.

"ALI!"

Alexis's best friend, Alison Finnegan-Weasley, came running out of the dorm room shower clad in only her towel and a clear shower cap that showed off her deep auburn curls. "What, Lexi?"

The blonde held up two pairs of shoes. "Flats or sneakers?"

Ali rolled her eyes. "It's a Hogsmeade date, Alexis. Pick what you think you'll be more comfortable in."

"Yes, but-"

"-you wanna look good for Nolan? Here's a tip: he won't care what you wear as long as you put thought into it."

"Fine. Some help you are."

"Thank you. Can I go back to showering before my stuff gets stolen again?"

Alison walked out without waiting for an answer as Alexis put the final touches on her outfit. She put on the red-and-gold pinstriped blouse and tucked it into her black skinny jeans before putting on black socks and her favorite sparkly gold sneakers.

One Hair-Curling Charm and a bit of Muggle makeup later, she was ready to go on her first real date since August.

It was a well-known fact that Nolan Shroder was the most attractive boy in fifth year. He and Alexis had been an on-again-off-again thing throughout most of last year, with her friends taking turns with him when Nolan wasn't dating Alexis.

The pair had split up just before the start of the school year to give Alexis time to focus on Quidditch and improving her less-than-stellar grades in Herbology and Potions. Since then, Nolan had gone out with Karter Jordan, Leah Spinnet, and Karter again.

But two days ago, Nolan asked her to the first Hogsmeade trip of the year. Alexis jumped on the chance and hoped that this day would go smoothly.

And how could it not, with the promise of Slytherin's legendary masquerade ball that Alexis was _finally_ old enough to attend happening later that evening?

The general rule for the ball was that fourth years only got in by invitation or being a Slytherin; anybody older than that was welcome at the free-for-all in the dungeons, so long as you followed the formal dress code.

For the moment, however, the young Gryffindor's main concern was being on time for her date.

0-0-0

By rushing past the Great Hall with only a brief stop for a goblet of pumpkin juice and a muffin, Alexis was able to meet up with her boyfriend.

"Hey there, Gorgeous." Nolan said as he leaned in for a kiss.

It was a long, nice, and gentle moment interrupted by catcalls. The happy Gryffindor couple broke apart and Alexis glared at her little brother. "MASON!"

"Are you seriously back together with him?" The Ravenclaw pointed in Nolan's direction.

"For the last time, Mason, what I do with my life is none of your business so stop bugging me about it." Alexis growled.

Mason held up his hands in defense. "Fine, fine, whatever. I don't care. Just don't come crying back to me if he dumps you for another member of his harem."

Alexis made a rude hand gesture at her brother before turning back to her boyfriend.

He grinned. "Don't mind him, Gorgeous. I've only got eyes for you, after all."

As they kissed again, a part of her brain, the more rational one, nagged Alexis saying _Something's not right with that_, but she shoved those thoughts to the back of her mind.

0-0-0

Alexis and Nolan were still holding hands when she spotted her friends. She was half-glad to be able to spend time with them but half-peeved that she wouldn't have any more time alone with her boyfriend.

Alexis's stomach churned as she saw Leah and Karter eyeing up Nolan. So today wasn't going to be nearly as smooth as she thought it would.

Nolan threw an arm around the other two girls. "Hey ladies." He wiggled his eyebrows, which made Karter giggle and Leah lean into Nolan in a move that flaunted her body in her already-promiscuous outfit. Godric only knew how she'd gotten away with that in front of the professors.

"Lex, get over here." He shifted Leah out and Alexis scooted into her spot. Nolan paid no mind to the daggers Leah shot Alexis and the latter gave a triumphant smirk.

Eventually, he let Karter go and gave Alexis a kiss on the cheek. "Meet up in two hours at The Three Broomsticks?"

"Definitely."

Nolan walked off and found a group of the more popular guys in his year. Alexis turned to face the other two girls. "Do either of you know where Cleo and Alison are?"

"Right here, darling." Alexis turned around and saw the last two girls striding over. Cleo Patil, the one who'd spoken, brushed her hair behind her ear and rushed over, giving each of the girls a swift hug before joining her spot in the circle.

"Where to first?" Karter asked.

As leader, Alexis spoke up. "Honeydukes. I need to pick up a box of Cauldron Cakes for Alana, and then perhaps window-shopping before we decide where to go after?"

The other girls nodded and the quintet walked off.

0-0-0

An hour and fifty minutes and four large bags of goods later, Alexis leads the group into an empty booth towards the back of The Three Broomsticks.

They've been there maybe thirty seconds when Nolan comes over with a butterbeer for each of the girls.

There's laughter, chatter, Leah flirting with Nolan and vice versa, Karter flirting with Nolan and vice versa, and a bit of kissing on Nolan and Alexis's part.

She's not jealous, really she isn't; okay, maybe she is, just a bit. After all, she's sitting _right there_ and Nolan's got the guts to flirt with her friends.

But she can't show it; the time before last Nolan dumped her because she was, in his words, "too clingy and jealous; it's only a bit of fun"

And Alexis doesn't want that to happen, not so soon.

So she hides her rage, until finally they have to start heading back to get ready for the Masquerade.

0-0-0

"Lace up the back for me, Ali?" Alexis asked as she finishes slipping into her gown.

"Yeah, just a sec." Ali's slender fingers made quick work of the dress as Cleo finished her own laces.

Alexis slipped on the dress's matching jacket and admired the effect in the mirror.

She re-applied her makeup and did her hair in a fancy knot on the back of her head. The dress itself was pink, poofy-skirted, and has just enough lace to be feminine.

Karter shoved her out of the way to admire her golden gown, which was stunning on her. Cleo's darker complexion provided a striking contrast to her silver gown, whose bodice reminded Alexis of the fairy from that Muggle movie _Peter Pan'_s dress. Alison's ruffly lavender gown was a toned-down version of Leah's orange-and-fuchsia masterpiece.

All in all, the girls look fabulous.

"Let's roll, darlings!" Cleo said.

0-0-0

The dungeon holding the party was the largest unused one in Hogwarts, and it definitely didn't disappoint. Somebody'd hung up green and sliver lights, a Muggle disco ball, and a variety of streamers in different shades of green all over the ceiling. There was a dance floor, a small platform for the DJ, a photo booth, food tables, and even a Muggle bouncy castle over in one corner.

"They really went all out, didn't they?" Leah said.

Nolan was nowhere in sight, so Alexis drank in the sight of her surrounding classmates in their nicest outfits. She saw Zea, the head girl, in a light blue dress serving herself punch. The head boy, Airin, was leaning against the wall, using his ears to soak in the party around him. Grievers, the female Gryffindor prefect, was shimmying on the edge of the dance floor in a slinky red sequined getup, complete with matching sneakers. One of the Slytherin prefect's royal purple gown accentuated her red hair.

Over in the corner, a younger Slytherin girl in a bright pink dress fell out of the bouncy castle. Someone from inside called out, "ROWAN! Are you all right?"

The Hufflepuff Quidditch captain's lacy dress was funky, bright, and in sharp contrast to the boy who she was dancing with's rather basic suit. On the other hand, the Slytherin Quidditch captain was taking pictures with a boy Alexis recognized as Nolan's friend Haydn. And off to the side of the dance floor, she spotted a Hufflepuff girl in her year wearing a turquoise gown and dancing with one of the prefects. What was her name? Amanda? Ayana? Something with an A...

A hand brushed her shoulder and she whipped around. "Nolan, don't _scare_ me like that!"

He wrapped her in his arms and gave her a forehead kiss. "Sorry. Ready for pictures?"

Alexis nodded. Nolan grinned. "I thought so. Let's round up the other girls and go over."

0-0-0

"And...smile." The photographer, a fourth year Slytherin Alexis recognized as Glenn Creevey, snapped the last of the group photos.

"That'll be a galleon each, please." The five girls and Nolan paid up for their picture.

In the photo, Alexis and Alison stand on either side of Nolan in the back row with the other three girls sitting in chairs stolen from the tables in the corner. It was a good quality photo, and well worth the galleon for the momentary wait.

The group headed over to a table in the back corner. Nolan helped Alexis into her seat before going over to get drinks for everybody. A few moments later, Cleo excused herself to the powder room to "freshen up."

After twenty minutes, neither Cleo nor Nolan had made a reappearance, and the group was starting to get impatient.

"How long does it take to get six glasses of punch?" Leah whined.

"Patience, Leah. There was a line, after all." Alison said.

"But I'm so thirsty," the brunette moaned.

"Leah, shut up." Karter snapped.

The three remaining girls started arguing and took no notice when Alexis slipped off to go get her own punch.

Unsurprisingly, Nolan was nowhere in sight. Alexis figured that he'd just gotten distracted by some friends.

She leaned over the punch bowl, and was serving herself a goblet when someone slurred in her ear "Hey, baby, you lookin' gooooooooooood tonight."

Alexis almost spilled the drink on her dress as she spun around to face her Quidditch team's captain. It was pretty obvious he'd had more than the three-butterbeer limit.

"Rubin, I have a boyfriend, you know."

"Not anymore," the older boy said as he wrapped an arm around her.

"Rubin, shut up. You're drunk. You don't even-"

Rubin pointed to a couple in the corner of the room. Alexis dropped the goblet on the floor, and gasped. "Oh. My. Gosh."

The couple in question was none other than Nolan and Cleo, who were getting more than a little cozy over in the corner.

And then, Alexis saw red.

She supposed she went over, yelled at them, slapped Nolan, and given Cleo a Bat-Bogey Hex. Or she might not have; it was all a bit of a blur in her mind.

The next thing she remembered was cowering in a hidden nook by the DJ platform, listening to an old Muggle song.

_'Cause when you're fifteen and somebody tells you they love you_  
_You're gonna believe them_  
_And when you're fifteen_  
_Feeling like there's nothing to figure out_  
_Well count to ten, take it in_  
_This is life before you know who you're gonna be_  
_Fifteen_

A tear rolled down her cheek

_'Cause when you're fifteen and somebody tells you they love you_  
_You're gonna believe them_  
_And when you're fifteen, don't forget to look before you fall_  
_I've found time can heal most anything_  
_And you just might find who you're supposed to be_  
_I didn't know who I was supposed to be at fifteen_

For the oldest Hayden girl, today had been a bittersweet day.

* * *

**And that's a wrap!**

**The lyrics at the end are from Taylor Swift's _Fifteen_.**

**The links for the dresses described in the story will be posted on my profile. For the unnamed characters at the ball, any guesses as to who's who? Two hints: They're all characters in "Finding the Light," and they're all at least fifteen in "Finding the Light." Bonus points and cookies if you get them right! Or, if you want to take the lazy way out, just look for the links of the dresses on my profile.**

**Next Up: Burnet and the Gryffindor-Slytherin Quidditch match!**

**See you next time on _One Long Year._**

**Cheers,**

**Purple**


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